Article Phil Steele Ranks Georgia Tech's Offensive Line As One of The Nation's 10 Best

[LT 1967]

Interesting Article on GT freshman Anthony Carrie. Phil Steel ranks Anthony in nations top 5 freshman running backs.

MSN

 

[Augusta_Jacket]

Interesting Article on GT freshman Anthony Carrie. Phil Steel ranks Anthony in nations top 5 freshman running backs.

MSN

Per the article, he ranks Carrie at #19

"College Football Expert Phil Steele is also high on Carrie this season and ranked him as one of the nation's best freshman running backs. In his rankings of the top freshmen running backs in the country, Carrie came in at No. 19."

 

[57jacket]

Did the O line actually improve all that much or did we start running a scheme that played to what they can actually do? It’s also amazing what a good QB can do for a O line (and vice versa). Don’t get me wrong, these guys deserve recognition, but too many reviews look at one portion of the team in a vacuum.

Good post
I've been watching last years games. I can now do so with less emotion. LOL. Our OC was absolutely great. While we all complained about our OL in the past few years, we now see it wasn't the major factor in our poor O. The new play calls now maximize their abilities. BTW, while our D was awful, the KO and punt coverge was a disaster. Hope we fix that, Who's in charge of special teams?

 

[AugustaSwarm]

Good post
I've been watching last years games. I can now do so with less emotion. LOL. Our OC was absolutely great. While we all complained about our OL in the past few years, we now see it wasn't the major factor in our poor O. The new play calls now maximize their abilities. BTW, while our D was awful, the KO and punt coverge was a disaster. Hope we fix that, Who's in charge of special teams?

Being able to call plays at the right time is kinda like being a good chess player. There's a lot of people that know the rules and the basics of the game, but to truly play the game, you need to understand why each move is made and understand how your opponent will react to that.
That's where CBF has excelled - he doesn't wait for the defense to show a tendency. He actively baits the D into doing what he wants. I can't seem to find it now, but there was a video (made by some mutts) of CBF's play calling versus the mutts that was a master class in setting the D up for a big play.

 

[TromboneJacket]

Good post
I've been watching last years games. I can now do so with less emotion. LOL. Our OC was absolutely great. While we all complained about our OL in the past few years, we now see it wasn't the major factor in our poor O. The new play calls now maximize their abilities. BTW, while our D was awful, the KO and punt coverge was a disaster. Hope we fix that, Who's in charge of special teams?

You’re a stronger man than I. I can’t watch that Louisville game again knowing that we gave it away. Same with Bowling Green and Boston College (the latter of which was the first Tech game I’ve attended since CPJ was calling the plays).

I don’t think the OL improvement was just play calling. Brent being able to design practice structures and set priorities as well as having an OL coach who is in alignment with Coach Key’s principles has been working wonders.

As far as special teams go, I’m going to hope that the coverages were bad because Brumfield had to focus on fixing the kicking & punting and their protections. Hopefully with those now fixed, he’ll be able to devote more time to fixing the kickoff and punt coverages.

 

[GT33]

You know this is music to Key's ears:

On the ground, they opened running lanes that helped the Jackets lead the ACC in rushing offense with 197.1 yards per game. Starting running back Jamal Haynes was top-five in the ACC for both yards and yards per carry. Their performance in the ground game was one of the most consistent aspects of the season for the Yellow Jackets. Even against Georgia's defensive line, they were able to open up holes and keep the backs clean. Haynes had 5.4 yards per carry in the game and based on their 2023 performance, the Jackets should be able to run against any defensive line they encounter.

As an "old school tough" type coach, and an O'Leary/Friedgen disciple, you know having an elite ground game where his OL is abusing the DLs is a point of pride for him. He did it in one season with a group that didn't play a lot of games together. One of the things our fanbase feared when CPJ left was our run game. Well, looks like we can put those fears into a boat and send it to sea. Wait until Key gets a group that he's coached from the ground up and has played multiple games. Our offense is going to be REALLY fun this season if we can avoid injuries.

Also, if you followed the UGA game on social media, one of the biggest surprises everyone commented on was how our OL seemed to have UGA's DL on skates. I don't think UGA under Kirby has ever experienced that against us.

When Key took over you could tell we were going to get back to physical, athletic lines. We've won at GT whever we've had a quality OL plus an adequate DL, decent LBs and a good secondary. Run that ball and win.

 

[LT 1967]

Per the article, he ranks Carrie at #19

"College Football Expert Phil Steele is also high on Carrie this season and ranked him as one of the nation's best freshman running backs. In his rankings of the top freshmen running backs in the country, Carrie came in at No. 19."

Sorry, my bad, not sure where I came up with #5. I am glad to see Rivals has him at #9. Thanks for the correction.

 

[AugustaSwarm]

When Key took over you could tell we were going to get back to physical, athletic lines. We've won at GT whever we've had a quality OL plus an adequate DL, decent LBs and a good secondary. Run that ball and win.

As the OLine goes, so goes the team.

The change in physicality was immediate. The start of last year it was even more obvious that we were more physical. The culture change that CBK and staff have brought will continue again this year as the TFG's cloud continues to fade.

 

[57jacket]

As the OLine goes, so goes the team.

The change in physicality was immediate. The start of last year it was even more obvious that we were more physical. The culture change that CBK and staff have brought will continue again this year as the TFG's cloud continues to fade.

When Key got the job, a reporter ask him what was the 1st thing he would change. His answer "Practice" !

 

[awbuzz]

When Key got the job, a reporter ask him what was the 1st thing he would change. His answer "Practice" !

Verifies what I heard from some of the Franklin "family" members; basically that practices CHANGED a lot. While tougher, they were what was needed.

 

[stinger78]

Good post
I've been watching last years games. I can now do so with less emotion. LOL. Our OC was absolutely great. While we all complained about our OL in the past few years, we now see it wasn't the major factor in our poor O. The new play calls now maximize their abilities. BTW, while our D was awful, the KO and punt coverge was a disaster. Hope we fix that, Who's in charge of special teams?

TFG and CDP absolutely butchered any chance of winning early the way they forced a scheme on an OL not recruited for that scheme. Then TFG dissed the guys calling them undersized and questioning their talent.

I get the tension of wanting to install your offense, but what they did with them was criminal, IMO. Then he recruited transfers over them who were largely 1 and done. You simply cannot build an OL that way. It takes 2-3 years to build an OL the old fashioned way. They grow as a unit. CBK and CJW are doing that.

 

[Jerry the Jacket]

The game is won or lost on the line of scrimmage, both sides of the ball. i think we are going to be stout on the offensive side. A lot of experience, size, depth and talent. On the defensive side, the jury is out. We have to get a lot tougher and physical on the defensive side of the ball. That starts up front, we have the size but I am not sure we have enough tough guys to get us to the average to good level. I am hoping the new D line coach will demand this out of our existing players.

Go Jackets!

 

[TechPhi97]

Did the O line actually improve all that much or did we start running a scheme that played to what they can actually do? It’s also amazing what a good QB can do for a O line (and vice versa). Don’t get me wrong, these guys deserve recognition, but too many reviews look at one portion of the team in a vacuum.

I think it's because we actually started practicing last year.

 

[MtnWasp]

I suppose if you recruit a bunch of massive but immobile recruits and run a zone scheme with them (or the opposite, recruit small mobile OL and then try to maul with them), then scheme might be a significant factor.

But overall, when it comes to the line of scrimmage, I don't think scheme is going to be pivotal.

But coaching is massively important for OL play. Those guys have to be developed, have to know what they are doing, and have to work together. The offense was dangerous last year and the improved play of the OL was a big part of the change.

There is a better than even chance we are even better on O this season. We have a real good kicker. We have some size on the interior DL

All eyes on the new defensive coordinator, the pass rush, defensive backfield, and 3rd down defense.

 

[57jacket]

I suppose if you recruit a bunch of massive but immobile recruits and run a zone scheme with them (or the opposite, recruit small mobile OL and then try to maul with them), then scheme might be a significant factor.

But overall, when it comes to the line of scrimmage, I don't think scheme is going to be pivotal.

But coaching is massively important for OL play. Those guys have to be developed, have to know what they are doing, and have to work together. The offense was dangerous last year and the improved play of the OL was a big part of the change.

There is a better than even chance we are even better on O this season. We have a real good kicker. We have some size on the interior DL

All eyes on the new defensive coordinator, the pass rush, defensive backfield, and 3rd down defense.

And special time ko and punt D.

 

[alagold]

And yet....nobody thinks we can win more than 6 games.

Unfortunately I have one word in response--DEFENSE.

 

[takethepoints]

TFG and CDP absolutely butchered any chance of winning early the way they forced a scheme on an OL not recruited for that scheme. Then TFG dissed the guys calling them undersized and questioning their talent.

Yes. That was unforgivable and when the meme emerged I lost all patience and all respect for TFG. You got to see what that first team could have done by watching the NCSU game. If Graham had been healthy all year and what's-his-name was left alone Tech could have won 5 - 6 games. Instead we put a great RB - Mason - on the bench so Griffin, a TFG recruit, could be out there. And we missed the chance of a lifetime by not teaming Mason with Oliver at RB and keeping the blocking schemes intact. And the entire debacle emerged. The entire season sacrificed to convince incoming recruits that we were "changing for the better".

Look, you do that the second year in an offensive transition, not the first.